Seed Grant Program 2015

The Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) has identified five strategic research themes where IEE believes that Penn State can achieve global prominence (listed alphabetically): Climate and Ecosystem Change; Future Energy Supply; Health and the Environment; Smart Energy Systems; and Water and Biogeochemical Cycles.

IEE has established a Seed Grant Program with approximately $400,000 available to foster basic and applied research focused on these strategic research themes. Preferred activities for funding under the Seed Grant Program are:
• Development of new interdisciplinary research teams to position them for substantial external funding success
• Novel research in theme areas, especially high-risk proof of concept projects
• Demonstrated collaborations between junior and senior faculty involved in research development and mentorship

For the 2015-2016 IEE Seed Grant Program we are highlighting several emerging opportunities, including health and the environment, the water energy nexus, climate change, and the future of the electric grid. We are particularly interested in projects that develop and enable new scholarly communities around important energy and environmental datasets, and efforts that extend data and knowledge to have a positive impact on society.

Update (10/21/15): Funds up to $5,000 can be awarded for a single investigator project, up to $10,000 for two or more faculty from the same college (University Park) or Commonwealth Campus, and up to $25,000 for multi college (across University Park) and multi campus (between campuses) collaborative grants.

Brennan - Biofuel production from wastewater, Sustainable biofuel production from ecological wastewater treatment systems: maximizing starch content and carboxylic acid production from aquatic plant biomass, College of Engineering

Maranas - Perfluorooctane Sulfanate on Obesity Outcomes, Modeling the Host-Gut Microbiota Metabolic Interactions to Elucidate the Role of Perfluorooctane Sulfanate on Obesity Outcomes, College of Engineering

Bahnfleth - Dessicant Dehumidifier Prototype, Development and Benchmarking of a Full-Scale Desiccant Dehumidifier Prototype Utilizing Microwave for Desiccant Regeneration and Inactivation of Airborne Microorganisms, College of Engineering

Jenkins - Saharan dust for evaluating disease risk across the meningitis belt, Collecting and characterizing Saharan dust and associated pathogens for evaluating disease risk across the meningitis belt and Cape Verde, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences

Rim - Nanoparticles in Indoor Air, Composition, Morphology, Size, and Agglomeration of Nanoparticles in Indoor Air, College of Engineering

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